In our recent Ask an Expert series, Chris Harris interviews Rob McKellar, Head of Practice for Residential Conveyancing and Head of Strategic Growth for Consumer Legal Services at Slater & Gordon Lawyers.
The pair discuss the reopening of the property market and the impact this is having on residential conveyancing.
Slater & Gordon recently enjoyed their busiest ever day for instructions with signs that the property market is set to flourish now that the buying and selling process is free.
Whilst there was the acknowledgement that the property sector is relying on just a small amount of data to suggest the market is turning a corner and recovering, Slater & Gordon have a sense that they are seeing the right kind of movement to feel optimistic about the future.
The firm have found a number of challenges within the sector since lockdown.
Firstly, the increasing demand and speed with which the market was released has presented some issues. Law firms have been unable to unfurlough their staff as quickly as they may have liked, and this is creating capacity issues.
Increasing consumer demand coupled with some firms finding it difficult to work effectively in a remote environment is also causing some issues.
However, this is something yet to affect Slater & Gordon who have used a strong digital marketing proposition, to compete in a competitive marketplace with a number of their direct to consumer channels currently thriving and increasing their new instructions.
With impressive plans to be ten times bigger in the next two years, Slater & Gordon are investing in people and technology to ensure their future growth is achieved.
The firm are looking to embed a people culture of ‘not waiting but creating’ with the consumer journey at the heart of the process.
By combining and packaging a quality legal service and technology to complement the home buying and selling journey, the firm feel as though they will solidify a consumer-centric experience reflective of the way consumers purchase products in the wider economy and marketplace.
Slater & Gordon have found that millennials to silver-surfers are utilising their new approaches and are committed to expanding the culture and service over the next two years.
In addition to considering the needs of the modern consumer, the firm’s approach to people hopes to cater to the 21st century employee.
…